We were lucky to catch up with Abriana Terrell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Abriana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

I am Founder/CEO of a nonprofit organization that houses and services the homeless community. God showed me this vision two years ago and during the time I was working to build the organization from the ground up, I took a leap of faith and decided to follow the path God chose for me and I ended up becoming homeless as well. I am still awaiting to move into my new home and get a new car. The beauty in all of it all is that I am on an entrepreneur journey as well as a spiritual one. This means that while I am running a business, I am also elevating myself and fulfilling my purpose in life. God is preparing me for what he has called me to do. I did not expect to end up homeless, but it makes sense because God is giving me a firsthand experience at what the unhoused community tend to go through. Great thing about this story is that God has provided for my needs and wants every single day since this journey of temporary homelessness began. This is a testimony to anyone who is trusting God to help them pursue their dreams. Please continue to lean on him and he will direct your path and provide all of your needs. Keep going! You got this!

Abriana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have always had a heart for humanitarian work. I am a social worker and I worked in nursing homes, group homes with foster care youth, and with hospice patients. Helping others has always been instilled in me. YOUtopian Estates provides counseling services (including tele-mental health) for families and individuals affected by mental health issues and homelessness. We also provide “zen” like services for the homeless to participate in yoga, meditation, sound healing sessions, etc. Our goal is to not only provide physical needs, but to feed the soul as well. We are currently raising money to fund the construction of our campus that will house 400 to 600 homeless individuals at a time. We promote peace and positivity!

Any advice for managing a team?

Always be kind to one another. The leader leads by example. Maintain an atmosphere of respect and if provide constructive feedback if needed. A leader also knows when to allow someone else to lead or teach if the leader is less competent in a certain area. It is a team effort.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There are times when you are moving at a fast pace and getting so much accomplished until you run into a period of stagnancy. This can come from being discouraged, burnout, or uninterest. With this being said, I became discouraged a few times along the way because starting out, your business has to earn respect from others. Sometimes people do not get back to you when they say they will, and you have to persistently follow up with them. Or sometimes you may think you are on to a great lead and then it turns out to be a dead end. So, navigating through failure is very important. Your dreams and vision definitely test you to see how bad you want it. No matter what, you must always move with integrity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.youtopianestates.org
• Instagram: youtopian_estates
• Facebook: YOUtopian Estates
• Linkedin: YOUtopian Estates
• Other: To schedule an appointment for a counseling session, use this link:
  https://calendly.com/youtopianestates